Inflammation of the intestinal tract is one of the most common types of inflammatory processes affecting humans. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of serious chronic gastrointestinal inflammatory disorders of generally unknown etiology. The two most common forms of IBD are ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD). Ulcerative colitis affects the small or large intestine and involves the inner lining (e.g., the mucosal and sub-mucosal layer) of the intestinal wall. Crohn's disease may affect any section of the gastrointestinal tract and may involve all layers of the intestinal wall. Symptoms of IBD include rectal and/or intestinal bleeding, abdominal pain and cramping, diarrhea, and weight loss.
IBD remains relatively resistant to current treatments. Current therapies are primarily directed at reducing the inflammatory process and its detrimental effects, and include administration of anti-inflammatory drugs (e.g., mesalamine, suifasalazine, infliximab, adalimumab, prednisone, budesonide) and immunosuppressive drugs (e.g., 6-mercaptopurine, azathioprine, cyclosporine). These therapies may be associated with severe adverse side effects including anorexia, dyspepsia, malaise, headaches, abdominal pain, fever, rash, pancreatitis, bone marrow suppression, and infections. Invasive surgical procedures, including colectomy, proctocolectomy, and ileostomy, are also used when drug therapies fail.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,297,214 discloses the use of glucagon-like peptide 2 (GLP-2) to treat or prevent inflammatory conditions of the small or large intestine. U.S. Pat. No. 6,348,447 discloses the use of a gastrointestinal peptide hormone selected from the class consisting of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and derivatives thereof having anti-secretory effects and smooth muscle relaxatory properties in the gastrointestinal tract for the treatment of functional dyspepsia and/or irritable bowel syndrome.